Power-transmission mechanism.



F. F. DORSEAY. POWER TRANSMISSION MEcHANisM,

`APPLICATIO FILED MAY 28\ |913.

Patented May18, 1915.

Figo-11 w Hnymm@ g TaTEs raTnnT orio EARNUM EnonsEY, or ROCHESTER, NEWYORK, Assrenon To NoRTn EAST ELECTRIC COMPANY, OE' ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK'.

row'En-Tnansiassion ntECHAnisi/L aiipubnon inea may ze, 1913. seal E6.Worm.

To ctlfivi'om muy cncera: A, Y y i Be it known that I, FARNUM F. DonsEY,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, inthe countyof Monroe and A'Mechanisms of the type in questio'are employed inconnection :with the machinery of motor-vehicles, for the purpose ofconnecting'an electric generator withlan internal-combustion engine, `sothat the generator may normally be driven by the en gine, to charge astorage-battery `'or provide A electricl current for other purposes,while',

onthe other hand, 'the generator may be utiliz'ed' as an electric motorto provide power for starting the engine'from a condition of i rest,'and' it has previously been proposed roller-wedge clutches, theseclutches serving,

to render mechanism of'this kind automatic in its operation by the useof automatic unidirectional connecting-devices, such as on the onehand,'to cause the engine-connected element to rotate rthegenerator-connected element directly, or, on the other hand, to causethe latter element to rotate theengineconnected element, at a lowerspeed, through speed-reducing gearing.

@wingv to the fact that, the normal, direction of rotation of both the`rotary elements is always; the same, whether one or the other acts asthe driver, thearrang'ement of the one-direction clutches which isnecessary for the performance ofv their normal functions results,incidentally, in a tendency to a locking action which prohibits reverserotation in the engine-connected element.' This is objectionable, wherethe gearing is used in connection with an internal-combustion en#mission-meehanism is so constructed asr tov rigidly -resist suchbackward 'rotation its parts are subjected to a severe strain. IFurthermore, it is desirable that the engine, when coming to rest afterbeing in operation to drive the vehicle, be permitted to turn backwardlyto a sufficient degree to permit it'spist'ons to assume their normalpo'- sition` of rest or' equilibrium in .the enginecyhnders', asy theengine, when its' parts are in this position,- may frequently be startedby mere manipulation of the ignition-devicesyand without the necessityof employing `,the electric generator for that purpose.

rlhe object of the present invention vis to I produceapow'er-transmission mechanism,-

of the type in question, in which the operation ma7l be partly or.wholly automatic, but in which provision shall be made forAautomatically unlocking the gearing against reverse rotation on the partof the engine-connected element. To this end I employ, in addition tothe two rotary elements before mentioned, a third rotary element', whichconstitutes a part of the'connec'tions through which the first t-woelements are operatively' connected, and which normally rotates with oneof these elements, but which is also capable of a limited rotation withrespect to such element. This third rotary element is connected,in'turn, withv one of the clutches by which power is transmitted fromone to vthe other of' the iirst two rotary elements,

in such manner that upon a tendency to reverse rotation in theengine-connected element the clutch in question is automaticallythrownor held out of operation, as a consequence' of the relative motionbefore mentioned, so that the mechanism is unlocked,

and the engine-connected element is permit-k ted to rotate freely in thereverse direction.

, In the. accompanying' drawings z-Figure 1 is a vertical sectional viewof power-transmission mechanism embodying the present invention, in theplane of the axes of the several rotary elements; and Fig. 2 is a partly'sectionalfview,on the line 2-2 in Fig.v l, looking from'rigf'ht to leftin the lat ter figure and showing particularly thev ar rangement oftheorie-direction clutches.

` In the illustrated embodiment of the in- Vention' a rotaryelement orshaft 5*, which is hereinafter' referred to as the irst rotary element,is mounted in ball-bearings 6 in a casing?, this shaft 5bein'gadaptedfor concoupling, which is illustrated as of the well-Ainafter referred to as the second rotary element,7 is also mounted inthe casing 7, being supported, near one end, by a ball-bearing 9, whileits inner end has a reduced part 1() which turns in a central recess inthe shaft 5, the two shafts being thus held in axial alinement. Theshaft 8 may be connected with the armature-shaft of the electricgenerator in connection with which the mechanism is used, and for thispurpose, its righthand portion 14 is squared for the attachment of onemember of a coupling 11. This known Oldham type, connects the shaft 8with the armature-shaft of a generator, of which only the end of thecasing 12 is shown in Fig. l, the generator-casing being rigidlyconnected with the casing 7 by means of a bracketl.

The automatic one-direction clutches of the present mechanism arearranged at the right-hand end of the shaft 5, this part having anenlargement or shell 15 which constitutes members of both clutches. Thecylindrical inner surface of the shell 15 is engaged by rollers 16,which are seated in re` cesses in an inner clutch-member 17 integralwith the shaft 8. These recesses, as shown -in Fig. 2, are so inclinedat the bottom that i when the shaft 5 and the shell 15 are rotated inthe direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, which is the normaldirection of rotation, the rollers 16 are moved toward the shallowerarts of the recesses, so that they are wedged y part 15, and the shaft 8is thus rotated in unison with the shaft 5, for the purpose of actuatingthe electric generator. This action of the rollers 16 is insured bymeans of spring-pressed followers 18 located in the recesses andconstantly pressing against the rollers.

When the shaft 8 is to constitute thedriving-member, in the operation ofstarting the engine, power is transmitted from this shaft to theshaft 5through speed-reducinggearing. This gearing comprises a pinion 19 on'theshaft 8, and a gear 20 withwhich the pinion 19 meshes, this gear beingmounted to rotate about a fixed counter-shaft 21 in the casing 7. Thegear 20 is connected, in turn, with a pinion 22, which meshes with agear 23 concentric with the shell 15. The gear 23 is annular in form,and its smooth inner surface 24 constitutes an element of a secondroller-wedge clutch, being engaged by rollers 25 which are seated inrecesses 26 formed in the periphery of the shell 15, as shownparticularly in F ig. 2. These recesse's are so inclined, atthe bottom,that when the gear 23 is rotated in the direction against theclutch-surface on the indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, the rollers 25move toward the shallower parts of the recesses, thus being pinched.between the clutch-members, and causing the shell 15 and the shaft 5 tobe rotated by the gear 23.

It will be apparent that whenever the first rotary element is drivingthe second rotary element, the latter may overrun the former in thenormal direction of rotation, since the rollers 16 will, in this case,slide freely` within the shell 15, while on the other hand the iirstrotary element, when being driven through the speed-reducing gearing bythe second rotary element, may also overrun freely when, for example,the engine has started its normal operation, owing to a similar actionon the part of the rollers When the lirst rotary element tends to rotatein the reverse direction, however, in consequence of a back-kick in theengine with which it is connected, this rotation is trans. mitted to thegear 23, andl thence, through the other parts of the speed-reducinggearing, to the pinion 19, and if this pinion were rigidly attached tothe shaft 8 this tendency to reverse rotation on the part of the pinionwould be vresisted through the action of the inner roller-wedge clutch,since this clutch would prevent the second rotary element from rotatingin a reverse direction faster than the first rotary element.

To avoid the locking action just referred to l employ, in theillustrated mechanism, as the third rotary element hereinbefore referredto, thel pinion 19, this pinion being mounted loosely upon the shaft 8,so that it may have a limited rotation relatively to the shaft. integralwith the pinion 8 is a iiange 30, from which three fingers 81 projectinto the corresponding recesses inthe clutch-member 17. As shownparticularly in Fig. 2, each of the fingers 81 is adapted to movefreely, to a limited extent, within Vthe corresponding recess, in such amanner that it may engage and move one of the the normal direction ofrotation the pinion 19 is free to rotate in the same direction, and atthe same speed as the shaft 8, the frictional tendency of the partsbeing to promote such rotation, although the gears are not at this timein useful operation, and thus the ngers 31 do not interfere in any waywith the operation of the rollers 16 under the influence of theirspring-pressed followers and the wedging tendency of the cooperatingclutch-surfaces. Accordingly, at this time the fingers 31 rotate idlywith the other parts and perform no function. Under these circumstances,however, if the direction of rotation of the shaft 5` be reversed, inconsequence of a back-kick in the engine, or of the tendency of thepistons of the engines to come to rest in an intermediate position whenthe engine is stopped,

the gear 23 is rotated reversely, as before stated, in consequence ofthis movement. of

are forced backwardly against the rollers 16, so as to press them towardthe deeper ends of the recesses in the clutch-member .17, and throw theclutch out of operation. YThe fingers then, by their pressure againstthe rollers, which is transmitted, in turn, to the clutch-member 17, mayrotate the shaft 8 freely in the reverse direction, thus permitting themechanism to accommodate itself to the tendency of the engine to rotatebackwardly.

When the shaft 8 constitutes the drivingmember, in the operation ofstarting the engine by power derivedfrom the generator, the shaft 8rotates the clutch-member 17 in the normal direction, and this rotationis transmitted, through the rollers 16 andthe fingers 31, to the pinion19, and thence,

`through the other parts of the gearing and through the outer clutch, tothe shaft. 5. Accordingly, the pinion 19rotatesyfin unison with theshaft 8 and 4drives thV gearing in substantially the same manner as ifit were iXed to that shaft. In this connection, however', the presentinvention has a further utility, in that the driving-pressuretransmitted through the rollers 16 to the fingers 31 causes theserollers to be held back, in opposition to the pressure of theirspringpressed followers 18, so that the pressure of the rollers againstthe clutch-surface of thel shell 15 is relieved, and the friction whichwould otherwise occur between these parts is eliminated. This effect maybe increased by beveling the sides of the fingers 31, as shown in Fig.2, in a" direction to force the followers inwardly rather thanoutwardly.

Vhile the unlocking-mechanism just described permits the shaft 8 and thegenerator to be rotated in the reverse direction when necessary, it doesnot relieve the mechanism from a strain which may arise, owing to themomentum of the armature of the generator, when the rotation of theengine is suddenly reversed while the generator-armature is rotating athigh speed in the normal direction.4 liccordingly, it is preferable tointerpose, at

some point between the shaft 5 and the generator-shaft, a yielding orfrictional conncction which will permit the generatorshaft to be broughtgradually to rest, and then thrown into reverse rotation, when thedirection of rotation of the shaft 5 is suddenly and powerfullyreversed. Such a yielding-connection may belocated at various points,but I have illustrated it as interposed between the gear .20-and thepinion 22. To this end the gear 20 is annular in form, and it has aconical inner surface 33 which engages a corresponding surface upon aweb or plate 34 integral with thepinion 32. A dished ring 35 is carriedby the plate 34, this ring having a flange which engages the right-handsurface of the gear 20. Studs 36 screwed into the plate 34 pass looselythrough openings in the ring 35, and compression-springs 37, coiledaround these studs, engage the ring and force it toward the plate 34,thus. causing the flange 35 to press the gear in a direction to forcethe conicalI surfaces into frictional engagement with each other.springs 37 `is so adjusted that the friction resulting from thisarrangement is sufiicient to cause the gear 20 to rotate normally inunison with the pinion 22, while, on the other hand, the frictionalconnection will yiel'd when the mechanism is subjected to any unusualstrain, thus preventing sudden and severe reversal in the direction ofrota-- tion of the shaft 8` and the generator-shaft connected therewith.To afford convenient access tothe friction-coupling just described, thecasin 7 is provided with a removable screweplug38,-through which accessmay be had to the studs 36, so that they may be removed, when necessary,to replace or adjust the springs 37.

While the present invention is illustrated, and is particularlydescribed, as embodied in a mechanism in which the first pinion of thespeed-reducing gearing is employed as the third rotary element for thepurpose of controlling the action of the one-direction clutch throughwhich the first rotary element rotates the Second rotary element, theinvention is not limited to this specific arrangement, nor is itnecessarily embodied in a' gearing of the generalform and arrangementillustrated herein; but the invention may be embodied in various otherforms The strength of the within its nature as defined in the followingrotation of said elements, and a third rotaryA element coaxial withioneof the first two rotary elements and normally rotative therewithbutcapable of a limited rotation relatively thereto, the third rotaryelement being'connected with the clutch and adapted, as a result of suchrelative rotation, to -throw the clutch 'out of operation when the firstrotary elementis rotated in a reverse direction.

2. Power-transmission mechanism having,

in combination, a first rotary element; a second rotary element; andconnections, between said elements, through which the first rotaryelement may drive the second rotary element, and through which thesecond rotary element may drive the first rotary element in the samedirection, but at a reduced speed-ratio; said connections including aone-direction clutch adapted to permit one rotary element to overrunwhen driven by the other, a4 third rotary element coaxial with one ofthe first two rotary elements and normally rotative therewith, whilecapable of a limited rotation relatively thereto, and means, connectedwith the third rotary element and coperating with said clutch, t0 throwthe clutch into inoperative position, as a result of such relativerotation of the third rotary element, when the first rotary elementisrotated in a reverse direction.

3. Power-transmission mechanism having, in combination, a first rotaryelement; a second rotary element and connections between said rotaryelements, through which the first rotary element may drive the secondrotary element, and through which the second rotary element may drivethe first rotary element in the same direction, but at a reducedspeed-ratio; said connections including a roller-wedge clutch adapted topermit one rotary element to overrun when driven by the other, a thirdrotary element coaxial with one of the first two rotary elements androtatable relatively thereto, and fingers projecting from the thirdrotary element into the path of movement of the rollers in said clutchand adapted to force the rollers to inoperative position, as a result ofsuch relative rotation, upon a reverse rotation of thc first rotaryelement.

'i. Power-transinission mechanism having, in combination, a first rotaryelement; a second rotary element; means, includin a one-directionclutch, through which the rst rotary element may actuate the secondrotary element; means, including speed-reducv ing gearing and aone-direction clutch, through which the second rotary element mayactuate the first rotary element in the same direction of rotation; saidmeans including also a third rotary' element'coaxial with one of thefirst-mentioned two rotary elements and rotatable normally therewith,,while capable also of a limited rotation relatively thereto; and means,connected with the third rotary element and coperating with one of saidclutches, for throwing said clutch into inoperative position, as aresult of said relative rotation, when the first rotary element isrotated in a .reverse direction.

5. Power-transmission mechanism having, in combination, a first' rotaryelement; a second rotary element coaxial with the first; a one-directionclutch through which the first rotary element may drive the second,

while the latter is free to overrun; gearing through which the secondrotary element may drive the first, at a reduced speed-ratio but in thesame direction, said gearing including a gear on the first rotatableelement and a pinion journaled coaxially with the second rotary elementbut capable of a limited rotation relatively thereto; and means,connected with said pinion and coperating with said clutch, for throwingthe clutch into inoperative position, as a result of such relativerotation of the pinion, when the first rotary clement is rotated in areverse direction.

6. Power-transmission mechanism having, in combination, a first rotaryelement; a second rotary element coaxial with the first; a roller-wedgeclutch through which the first rotary element m'ay drive the second,while the latter is free to overrun; gearing through which the secondrotary element may drive the first at a reduced speed-ratio but in thesame direction, said gearing including a gear on the first rotaryelement and a pinion journaled coaxially with the second rotary element;and fingers projecting, from said pinion, into the `path of movement ofthe rollers of said clutch and adapted to throw said rollers intoinoperative position, as a result of relative rotation o'f said pinionand the second rotary element, when the first rotary element isrotatedin a reverse direction.

L. THON, D. Gunner.

